14 September 2025 #exaltyourcross

I’ve been pondering “crosses,” as they’ve been a theme for the readings these past few weeks and, as you know well, we’ve had our share of them lately. It’s a juxtaposition to say we celebrate our crosses. By juxtaposition, I mean the fact of two things placed close together with an opposite effect: pain and suffering become an avenue for healing and holiness. The readings lately are full of these types of things: sit at the foot of the table to be esteemed (last week), the last shall be first (Aug. 24), and a divided family is the sign of being one with Jesus (Aug. 17). Today is no different. It’s the “Exultation of the Holy Cross,” the day we celebrate the cross Jesus carried. And because we are one with Jesus, it’s also the day we acknowledge and praise God for the crosses we carry.

Why would we do that?

My esophageal cancer survivor-friend, David, told me that while he would not wish his journey on anyone, his journey made him a holier person. In a nutshell, that’s it. That’s the reason. Our crosses have the ability to make us holier people. Crosses are opportunities to rise above what our fallen nature would have us do… be bitter, complain, descend into darkness, or give up… and instead take on a new attitude of gratitude, grit, and thanksgiving.

Is that hard?

Gosh, yes. We simply cannot do it without the grace of God and faith that something Good will come of our crosses. Elizabeth Bailey Seton held fast to that belief. I cannot fathom bearing her crosses: her beloved Christian mother dies when she is seven, and her stepmother ends up abandoning her when the marriage to her absentee-father collapses. Her husband declares bankruptcy then tuberculosis claims his life, leaving her a widow with five children. She is shunned by friends and family after conversion and destitute. The beginnings of her teaching order are brutal and harsh. Her male superiors do not always share her vision. Two of her daughters die in her arms and her son in Italy. So many crosses.

What Good came of them?

Childhood trauma makes her a joy-filled and attentive mother. Illness forms her intense compassion for the ailing. Financial insolvency becomes simplicity. Death requires her to live for heaven. Widowhood nurtures strength and perseverance. Social rebukes clarify her mission to the poor. Church tensions force her growth in patience and trust in the Lord.

Our crosses are opportunities for growth in virtue.

And growth in virtue gets us to the Pearly Gates. Jesus tells Nicodemus he needs to be re-think the purpose of “crosses.” Jewish thought told him that the bad things that happen to people – their crosses - are punishments for some sin. Jesus tells him they are redemptive… they get us into heaven. Jesus dies on a cross in order to open the gates of heaven for us. That’s a juxtaposition if there ever was one. That’s Love Incarnate for you.

Today you have a choice. Love your crosses as Jesus and St. Elizabeth loved theirs. Or not. The choice is yours. #exaltyourcross